Match Preview: Barnet v Mansfield Town

Barnet: The Bees have struggled away in recent matches, losing to Luton Town (2-0) and Notts County (4-2) within the last fortnight. However they continue to perform well at home – the 0-0 draw with Morecambe last Saturday extended Barnet’s unbeaten run at The Hive to four matches in all competitions. When you consider that three of those games have ended in victory for Martin Allen’s side, there is reason to be optimistic ahead of Saturday’s contest. The Bees have the sixth best home record in League Two, and are 9th in the overall form chart (last eight games) going into this weekend’s clash with Mansfield.

Mansfield Town: It’s been a difficult few weeks for Mansfield, after a bright start to the season. The Yellows have now lost three of their last four league matches, and were recently knocked out of the FA Cup by Oldham in a First Round replay. That sequence of results leaves the Stags 16th in the form chart (last eight games), but they are still 8th in League Two – just a point and a place off the play-off spots. Town have also performed well on the road so far this campaign; they have the 8th best away record in the fourth tier. Their most recent result was a 2-0 home loss to mid-table Exeter City on Tuesday night.

In The Dugout: Player-managers haven’t generally been too successful in recent years, but Adam Murray seems to be bucking the trend. The journeyman midfielder played for an array of clubs ranging from Derby County to Oxford United in a 17 year career, including a season with Mansfield Town in 2004-05. He returned to Field Mill in 2010 (initially on loan) and has gone on to make a total of 189 appearances for the East Midlands side. Murray began combining his playing duties with the assistant manager’s role in 2012, before becoming caretaker manager when Paul Cox left the club in November last year. He was given the job permanently and went on to steer Mansfield clear of relegation, securing a 21st place finish. This season the Stags are much improved, and are currently in the hunt for promotion to League One.

Dangermen: Mansfield striker Matt Green is enjoying his third spell at the club, with six goals so far this season. The 28-year-old first arrived at Field Mill on loan from Oxford in 2011. A fantastic return of 29 goals in 46 games prompted Mansfield to make the move permanent a year later. Green’s goal scoring form continued as he struck a further 27 times in the following campaign, attracting the interest of Championship side Birmingham City. The prolific forward moved to St Andrews but struggled to break into the first team, before returning to Mansfield at the end of last season. Bees fans will also remember defender Krystian Pearce. The centre-back was on loan at Barnet from Notts County in 2012, making 18 appearances whilst at Underhill. He went on to play 29 times for Torquay United and is now a regular in Adam Murray’s starting XI.

Last Meeting: Barnet last faced the Stags in April 2008, when a second half comeback secured a point for the Bees at Field Mill. Carl Muggleton (father of current Barnet player Sam) was in goal for the home side, with future Premier League centre-back Alex Baptiste starting in defence. The Bees had long-serving keeper Lee Harrison between the sticks, in a team containing Neal Bishop, Joe Devera and Albert Adomah. Mansfield opened the scoring through Michael Boulding after a quarter of an hour, before doubling their lead when Matt Hamshaw stuck early in the second half. Paul Fairclough’s side found a way back into the match when Anthony Thomas pulled one back with 70 minutes played, before Adam Birchall levelled things up seven minutes later. Barnet finished the season in an impressive 12th place; their best position since dropping down to the Conference in 2000-01. Meanwhile Mansfield were relegated out of the Football League, and only returned to the fourth tier in 2013.

Ticket Details: You can book tickets in advance of the game online here, or by phone on 020 8381 3800. Tickets can be bought on the day of the match, but only at the Ticket Office. It is recommended to arrive early to avoid queues.

This match is included in our extended Christmas Cracker deal – 3 games for £30! Find out more here.

You can also get your tickets for our Emirates FA Cup clash with Newport County on Saturday (12:30-13:30 and 16:30 – 17:30 from the Ticket Office). For more information, click here.

Travel: You can get to and from The Hive by taking our Shuttle Bus service. To find out more and check the bus timetable, click here.

Food & Drink: Grazioli’s Bar (under the West Stand) will be open from 12:30, and will be serving our range of top quality burgers - so why not head down to the ground early and enjoy a pre-match bite to eat and a beer before the game?

Prize Draw: Tickets for the Amber Triple Chance Draw are available for just £1. You could win a guaranteed first prize of £200, a £300 Jako voucher in our monthly draw, and be entered in an end-of-season draw for a year’s free Bees Membership! You can get tickets from our sellers around the ground.

Follow The Match: If you can’t get to The Hive, you can listen to full commentary of the match on Bees Player HD. We’ll also have live twitter updates throughout the game, and a match report & post-match reaction on barnetfc.com.